


the idea of you

by bloomsdaniel



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe: Black Mirror Episode: s03e01 Nosedive, Fluff and Angst, Future, Futuristic, Inspired by Black Mirror, Love, M/M, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, nosedive - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-10-20 10:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17621066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomsdaniel/pseuds/bloomsdaniel
Summary: In a world where eye implants exist and society is at it's downfall, people rank each other based on their interactions which can affect their socioeconomic status. Social elites aren't supposed to fall for lower class citizens, but Dan finds himself caught up in a spiral of confusion when he finds a boy with a low ranking, but with the most beautiful blue eyes he has ever seen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this au is heavily inspired by an episode of Black Mirror, it's on season three and it's called Nosedive. Watching the episode before reading isn't really necessary but here's a very short trailer to understand the concept more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R32qWdOWrTo // enjoy, nerds

_The year is 2029, Using eye implants and mobile devices, people rate their online and in-person interactions on a five-star scale._

_This system cultivates insincere relationships, as a person's rating_ _sign_ _ificantly_ _affects their socioeconomic status, their ranking in society._

_Here, people below a 3 are the lower class, no privileges, ignored._

_In a world of fake smiles and false generosity, the world revolves around numbers and decimals, humans are mere slaves to their own technological lives._

\---

**_Louise Pentland just posted a photo!_ **

_Lovely day with Pearl!! <3 (image attachment)_

Dan's device makes a small bell noise when he dragged his thumb over his screen to rate Louise five stars on her photo, new posts from his friends starts piling in and he rates them all with five stars. The sun was beaming down on him as he waked towards the nearby cafe where he regularly orders his macchiato, taking his spot in line with multiple people also looking down on their screens. Dozens of bell noises can be heard in the cafe indicating people are actively rating, or more accurately  _judging_ other people with their small devices. Dan briefly looks up to see the length of the line, in the corner of his eye he spotted a bus boy accidentally drop a full cup of iced coffee on a woman's shoe, resulting in a fuss. The woman began to shout, alerting all the people in the small cafe including Dan. He raised his device up and pointed at the woman, dragging his thumb to rate her a one star, a few people probably had the same idea. With his eye implant, he can clearly see the woman's ranking go down from a 4.3 to 4.2, her device made a descending noise. She began to apologize in a frantic and goes to exit the cafe, her ranking still going down visibly.

After the stir was gone, Dan found himself in front of the line.

"Good Morning, Dan!" The barista greeted him a smile that was undoubtedly fake, but in this world what isn't? She was new, Dan didn't recognize her at all. He secretly pressed on his little device and suddenly her name, ranking, and life page all appeared in front of Dan's very eyes.

 _Alyssa Cruz. 3.4, she's 20 and just got the job._ _Her name tag says 'Lyss'._

"Good Morning, Lyss!" He replied, plastering on the biggest smile he could muster and ordered his usual.

"Would you like a cookie with that? It's on the house!" Lyss exclaimed, looking at Dan's life page with her own eye implants as well. Dan, unaware of her snooping, just said yes and thanked her for her kindness.  _Of course it's on the house._ When his food was served, he smiled. Lyss looked at him eagerly,  _ah right._ He lifted up his device, pointing it towards Lyss's direction and swiped his thumb to rank her 5 stars. Instantly, Lyss's device made a small bell sound. She proceeded to rank Dan with 5 stars as well, their ranking both boosting up a few exponents. 

Dan sat on his usual seat and took a bite of the cookie, but did it precisely so it would look clean. The cookie itself tasted bland, and it had raisins in it.  _Fucking raisins._ He swallowed it though, before taking out his device and taking a picture of his food. 

_**Dan Howell just posted a photo!** _

_A little breakfast before work, thank you crème et café for the free cookie! (image attachment)_

_PJ Liguori rated your photo five stars!_

_Louise Pentland rated your photo five stars!_

_Jacob Bixenman rated your photo five stars!_

_Troye Sivan rated your photo five stars!_

Almost instantly, he was starting to get a few four and five star rankings, and he watched his own ranking slowly rise in exponents. He sighed, before picking up his cup and taking a sip.

\---

Dan was sat on his desk editing a few pages for the new edition of of their company's magazine  _A là mode_ when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned his head to find his co worker Anthony standing behind him holding a big box of doughnuts, looking at him with big hopeful eyes.

"Hey Dan, would you like a doughnut? I bought everyone doughnuts and uh- they're still warm." He smiles, maneuvering the box in front of Dan's face. The implants in Dan's eyes allowed him to see Anthony's ranking.  _3.1, what the hell happened?_ Nevertheless, he smiled and took one out of the box. Anthony didn't move even when Dan took a bite, and Dan knew exactly why. He grabbed his device and ranked Anthony a five star, making the lad smile and mutter 'thank you' before leaving.

"Poor lad, scraping the bottom of the barrel." PJ spoke from beside him, rolling his swivel chair closer to Dan's.

"Three point one? What happened?" He looked up at Anthony once again while PJ took his chocolate doughnut from his hand and took a bite.

"Mel and him broke up." Pj said through a mouthful of bread.

"Oh, well I'm sorry."

"Nah, we're all on Mel's side. Little fucker did it over text with no further explanation." He said while pointing his device at Anthony, rating him a one star. His ranking visibly went down a decimal and his own device made a descending sound.

Dan watched as Anthony stared at his device in sorrow, placing the box of doughnuts on a nearby table and fled the office. Dan felt a surge of sadness for him, when he reaches a 2 who knows what will happen to him.

That evening Dan spent a his late night hours laying in bed and scrolling through people's life profiles with his device, watching it on his own ceiling with his stereo playing a series of classical songs. Anthony is currently on 2.9, which saddens him a bit. He doesn't know the guy that well, they've had brief conversations before but he had no idea that he was capable with doing something like that. He scrolled through a few of his friend's profiles as well,  _Troye is at 4.2 huh must've done a something spectacular because he was only a 4.1 yesterday, Louise went up to a 4.4 after having Pearl, good for her! PJ hasn't moved from his 4.1, must've been staying inside._

Dan will admit, it is a bit melancholic how silly star rankings literally defines a person's entire being, but he can't remember what it was like  _before_ this cluster fuck of rankings were on this earth, it's like his mind was wiped or something. Being surrounded by it and living with it your whole life does make you fall under it's spell, Dan can't remember the last time he hadn't thought about his ranking. It took years, but life treated him good when he reached his number 4. 

"Will you turn off your sissy music?" 

Dan rolled his eyes before turning his head towards the door where his flat mate stood clad in pajama bottoms, "Fuck off Chris, and it's not sissy music."

"Sure is." Chris responded before walking up to his stereo, and putting the volume down to the point where you can't even hear it. Chris plonked down next to Dan in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"How's work?" Dan asked, his finger still hovering on his device as he snooped in on PJ's life page.  _He's been doodling, what a nerd._

"Shit." Chris responded.

"You always say that." Dan chuckled, turning off his device and turning to Chris. His eye implants automatically got Chris' ranking, he's a 3.3 now.

"Well has working in the fast food industry ever been peachy?" He said, turning to Dan as well, "Also I can see your irises moving, stop looking at my life page when I'm literally right here."

"I'm not, just saw your ranking. You've been doing good." Dan complimented, but he knew how much Chris hated talking about rankings and such, he believed it was all bullshit.

"Yeah, well you don't really have a choice but to be nice when you're serving burgers to mom's with their screaming toddlers." He huffs. "How's  _A là mode?_ and Peej?" Chris wiggled his eyebrows. Dan has had this congenial little crush on his co worker since he first worked in that magazine company back when he still had his 3.7 and big dreams of becoming someone in the fashion industry. He immediately thought he was pretty, and maybe spent the whole day scrolling through the man's life page being careful not to rank something accidentally. He's good friends with PJ now and he doesn't see himself going further than that, and he was completely over his small crush but of course his best friend Chris will never let him forget the times he would gush about PJ. He doesn't even know what caught Dan's attention, maybe it was his eyes. Dan is a sucker for pretty eyes.

"Fine and fine." Dan rolled his eyes, "Weren't you supposed to meet some friends today?" 

"Bailed on them for tonight, didn't really fancy hearing them rave about their own rankings." He sighed. Chris never fretted about his own ranking as much, he cared enough to keep his head above water but not to the point where he let it consume him. Dan on the other hand might be just that,  _consumed._

"Well, you still fancy a drink?" Dan asked, and Chris immediately smiled.

An hour later, they found themselves in the nearest 7-11 from their house with a bottle of cheap wine and multiple snacks in their hands. They debated whether it would be a good idea to visit the pub, but the thought of curling up in a ball while watching TV shows with a glass of wine overpowers all choices. It was a Thursday, they both have shifts tomorrow and Dan is positive he has one unedited manuscript sitting in his emails, but what's the worst a little hangover would do?

"Hold our place in line, I'll just look for some Haribo." Chris spoke, shoving 3 large bags of junk food he was carrying in to Dan's hands who already had his arms full. Before he could complain, Chris already bolted to the other aisle. Dan muttered "wanker" under his breath before walking up to the cashier. He didn't really bother looking if there was someone already standing there, he placed all of the stuff in his arms on to the counter and went to dig in to his pockets.

"Excuse me," A deep voice spoke from behind him, making him turn around.

_Pretty._

"Nice of you to cut in line like that." The man chuckled, his hands buried in the pocket of his ripped jeans. He was gorgeous, he was wearing a leather jacket that accentuated his already broad shoulders, and  _god_ his eyes.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry." Dan stepped back, letting the man buy whatever he needed first. The man nodded at him, before stepping beyond the counter and bought a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. It was when he was paying where Dan noticed his ranking and name,  _Phil Lester, 2.1._ That was a horrendous ranking for someone so pretty, but that didn't linger in his mind for too long.

Once Phil got everything he needed, he noticed the boy staring. Now, Dan isn't ugly either and Phil definitely noticed that and somehow his interest sparked. In fact, He was fucking gorgeous, he looked like the epitome of innocence and softness and Phil wanted to get to know him more, but once his eyes landed on Dan's high ranking he pursed his lip.  _Oh, he's one of them._ With a sigh, he took a cigarette out of the box he bought and placed it on his lips before turning to Dan and winking, making the boy flush. He smiled when he saw the boy's tinted cheeks, he probably would never see it again.

Dan watched Phil walk out of the shop, his eyes never leaving his figure until he was out of sight. He sighed, before walking up towards the counter and paying for his things. Chris came back and placed three bags of Haribo on the counter, giving Dan puppy eyes basically saying  _pay for them please i'll love you forever_  making him sigh. Once they were done, he ranked the cashier with five stars and smiled once he got five stars back. It was when they were walking back to their flat with Chris babbling about a new show he was watching, he realized he never ranked Phil on their interaction. It was the first time he has ever done that, forgetting to rank someone even in the briefest of conversations. 

He was too caught up in gawking at the beautiful boy that he forgotten what he was so used to.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Good Morning, Daniel." PJ calls from his seat when Dan sets his little sling bag on the floor next to his desk. "Mr. Clark was looking for you earlier."
> 
> Dan's face grew pale, "What for?"
> 
> PJ shrugged, "Said something about seeing him in his office." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [IMPORTANT]
> 
> lil info here if you haven't seen Nosedive, you need a ton of stars in order to gain decimals on your ranking. for example, Dan's ranking is a 4.2, so he needs 100 stars to get to 4.3. Stars come from rankings from actual people, so it's tough to get a high ranking in this society. that's all, carry on.

 

The first thing that Dan hears in the early morning was an annoying beeping sound coming from his left ear, the inconvenience made the young male groan and turn over. Thirty minutes later, the same beeping sound blared it's way in to Dan's dreams forcing him to finally open his eyes despite his whole body rejecting. His eyes widen as he caught a glimpse of the clock.

He was ten minutes late for work, so he sprinted from his bed to the bathroom and proceeded to wash his entire body without slipping on their tiled floor. He caught sight of Chris still passed out on their sofa when he took a quick trip to the kitchen. He rolled his eyes at his friend before grabbing an energy bar from the cupboard. His head was still throbbing once he locked his apartment, dressed head to toe with pristine clothing. Although, he had absolutely no time to sort his hair out so a few curly stowaways were perched on his head.

The car ride to the building was horrendous, he got ranked a one star when he nearly hit a crossing pedestrian. It wasn't his fault she was about the cross the street when there was only 6 seconds left of red light. 

The room was filled with chatter when he enters, and the familiar dinging sound of nearby devices.

"Good Morning, Daniel." PJ calls from his seat when Dan sets his little sling bag on the floor next to his desk. "Mr. Clark was looking for you earlier."

Dan's face grew pale, "What for?"

PJ shrugged, "Said something about seeing him in his office." 

It wasn't everyday when the Editor-in-chief wanted you present in their office, so Dan took a deep breath before rearranging the collar of his pastel blue dress shirt. He thinks about all of the possible scenarios that could happen inside, none of them were positive. He knocks timidly on his boss' door, hearing a firm "come in" before opening the door. His teeth was practically digging on his tongue from anxiousness but he proceeded to give Mr. Clark a sweet close mouthed smile.

"Howell, you're late." He spoke, making Dan's teeth nearly chatter. "But I'll let it slide for now, come and sit down." He gestured towards the chair in front of his large white desk, leaning back with his hands clasped together on his chest. Mr. Clark was a tall and lean fellow, he wasn't buff or muscular but he had enough authority that could make Dan scared for his life. Dan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before nodding his head once, sitting on the soft chair.

"I've received news from the head quarters of  _à la Mode_ that a certain publication is due in a few months." Mr. Clark held a stress ball in his hand as he spoke, Dan's eyes were fixated on his face and nodded accordingly to show that he was listening.  _He's on 4.9, a few more stars and he'll be an elite._ He thought, He discussed more about the new issue of the magazine that was expected to be out in the next few months, babbling about sales and growth rate. Dan had little idea of what he was saying, and was confused as to why he needed to know about these sequence of things.

"Stakes are high on this issue, with a very familiar face on the cover, this will sure be a hit." He smiled.

"Familiar face?" Dan asked.

"Harry Styles." 

Dan almost choked on his spit.

"H-Harry Styles? well that's- that's huge, sir." Dan chuckled lowly, he may have listened to the man's album an obsessive amount of times. 

Mr. Clark chuckled, "I don't know how they do it, but they did." He smiled, "This is where you come in, Howell."

Dan's eyes widened, "Me, sir?"

Mr. Clark nodded, "I've seen you work behind the keyboard and I'm proud to say you are one of my best writers in this branch. Headquarters requested a few of my supremes, saying that they needed the extra help for this big issue."

Dan held his breath.

"Would you be interested in a flight to France?"

He coughed so loud, he held his hand over his mouth in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I- France?" Dan asked as he was trying to come down from his high, Mr. Clark merely laughed.

"Not in Paris, I'm afraid. Bordeaux, beautiful city." He replied. "Two hour train ride if you fancy seeing big ol' Eiffel."

Dan wasn't processing all of this, he definitely needed some time to think this over. Or maybe just a minute to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. 

"Well, working for the real deal sounds exciting sir." He smiled, "and France? That sounds like a dream."

He definitely needed a pinch or something. Mr. Clark proceeded to discuss the information regarding the flight, the way around Head Quarters and a little more information on the issue. Dan absorbed the information as best as he can, asking a few questions here and there. He was ecstatic on his seat, he cannot believe he was bestowed with this opportunity, he would have never expected that he'll be in actual fucking  _France_. Him? A lanky little dude with noodle legs and noodle hair.

"Although, there is one flaw on this ordeal, Mr. Howell." Mr. Clark sighed, Dan's face drooped as he sank on his chair. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"We need you on a 4.5 above ranking to be able to send you to headquarters." 

He sat straight up on his chair once again, "4.5 sir? That's merely impossible in a span of two months or so." Dan replied, there was absolutely no way he'll gain three whole decimals in only a few months. Encounters only come in twos or threes a day, and people's rankings aren't always a guaranteed five star as well. Not to mention, he's a little socially anxious. How will he be able to gain such a colossal amount in time for France.

"I am aware, but there is a loophole." He presses a button on his desk and suddenly the whole table is illuminated with a screen, a line chart present on it. Dan furrowed his eyebrows, mostly trying to figure out how the table turned in to a giant ipad in front of him. 

"You've been doing good socially, Howell. But your circle of interaction, from what I see, is focused mainly on people under the desired ranking." He pressed the screen and suddenly all of his friend's faces came up on the screen. Suddenly he felt sick in his stomach. Chris' face was clear as day, right beside his own.

"But, those are my friends?" He answered, immediately regretting it when Mr. Clark shot a look towards him.

"I definitely understand that." Mr. Clark nodded, "But to be above average, the people you encounter with can have a big impact on your social rankings. With your friends, I presume you don't rank them as often as you should?"

They're his friends, it was a bit unnecessary to rank them with every moment they hang out or have a conversation, he doesn't want to look so bloody  _desperate._  His ranking may be a big priority for him, but he told himself to exempt his friends.Especially with Chris who he lives with, who isn't that big of a fan with the whole ranking system. He's fucked.

Dan shook his head.

"Ah, I see." Mr. Clark cleared his throat, "Perhaps widening your social groups would help. People that are on top of the board, maybe?"

Dan gulped. he didn't want to do this. "Is there any other way, sir? I can definitely try writing manuscripts that are  _Vogue_ worthy or something."

His boss shook his head slowly, "The building only accepts 4.5 and up. Just like ours, but I was generous enough to make ours 2.9 and above. I'm sorry to say Howell, but that's just how the world goes." He sighs, "Come back to me in two weeks or so, I'll check up on how you're doing."

2.9 and above, he knew that. His mind drifted to his co worker Anthony. He wonders how he's doing. The world is ugly, this whole system is stupid, he doesn't know what to do. Nevertheless, he smiled and nodded, "Yes sir."

\---

 _"That's fucking stupid, Dan."_ Chris sighed from the other side of the phone, _"Three whole decimals in two months? Might as well just walk to France at this point."_

 "That's the thing, you can't even get in to the building if you aren't a 4.5" He sighed, "Kind of like, if you don't have a ticket you can't get on the train. Remember when you tried to visit me in  _my building?_ "

Two years ago, Chris decided to bring Dan a small cake for his lunch. (it was his birthday) Unfortunately, the doors did not open and instead it glowed red and emitted a buzzer sound, since Chris was only a 2.8 that time while Dan was on 3.9. Dan had to be called down and they had to eat the baked goodness on a bench nearby. 

That day Chris decided that the ranking system was all bullshit. 

 _"Yeah, don't remind me."_ He let out a huff, _"See? Stupid."_

"I know it sucks, but it won't hurt to try." Dan spoke.

_"It will, trust me."_

Dan furrowed his eyebrows, "No it won't" 

Chris sighs, _"I just hope you won't turn in to this star hungry bloke that literally rates every breathing being he encounters."_

"You're ridiculous, of course not." Dan rolled his eyes.

 _"Alright."_ Chris replied, _"I've gotta go, break's almost done."_

"Okay yeah," Dan bit his lip, "Hey, Chris.."

 _"Yeah, I already know what you're going to ask for. Fine."_ Chris chuckles.

"You're the best! I'll see you at home!" Dan exclaimed.

Chris hung up after saying goodbye, Dan stared at his device then. His face lit up when he saw Chris rated him five stars.

it was 24 hours later when Dan realized that maybe, just maybe, he was going a little bit mad. 

One whole day and all he has obtained is 24 stars. He admits that this may have gotten in to his head somehow, but the thought of him sitting down and writing for Headquarters in France made him strive and also struggle even more.

"Hi John, Nice work on your recent mural!" He greeted a clean shaved man sat at the bench outside his building, ranking him five stars. He had no idea who John is, he just opened the man's life page and saw his most recent post, a wall with some art he doesn't understand. The man looked confused, obviously not recognizing who Dan was. He gave him a small smile. Dan continued walking, he groaned when John rated him three stars back.  _Ungrateful wanker._

He sighed and went straight to the doors, but then he noticed it was glowing red. He furrowed his eyebrows, did they change the required ranking?

"Dan, they won't let me in." He turned his head to find Anthony standing beside the doors, a security guard has his arm outstretched in front of the poor boy, probably expecting him to run for the doors once it opens for Dan. Anthony's ranking was floating beside his head,  _2.8. Shit._  that's why.  "I just need a few stars." He pleaded.

The security guard was looking at Dan sternly, as well as a few passersby who are entering the building and a few who have stopped to watch the scene. Dan wanted to burst, tell them to fuck off, to mind their own business in this fake town. But sadly, he had a goal to reach and he needed stranger's approval. With a sigh, he straightened his shoulders and turned to Anthony.

"Well, I'm sorry Anthony." Dan spoke, looking down before entering the doors. Anthony said one more 'please' before the glass door closed. Dan felt vile, he could feel the distress building up in his stomach and he wanted to hide and hopefully rupture. Suddenly, his device buzzed from his pocket. He was already sat on his chair next to PJ when he decided to take a look.

He wasn't happy with what he saw, surprisingly. Two people anonymously rated him five stars, who are undoubtedly some strangers who has seen how he basically told Anthony to fuck off. He felt a pang of guilt, he wanted to cry. _God, this world is fucked._

"You seem stressed out." PJ commented, "Something bothering you?"

He wanted to tell him everything that's bothering him, but Dan simply gave him a small smile, "Just a little stressed, that's all." 

"I hear ya." PJ nodded, "Say, you fancy grabbing a drink with me tonight? It's Friday." He offered with a smile.

"Oh no, I can't today." Dan replied,  _I can't be pissed drunk in front of people because then I might do something stupid and I might get ranked down._ "I just got hammered the other day, I think I might need a break." He chuckled nervously.

"Alright, suit yourself." PJ smiled before turning back to his screen and typing away.

With the topic of drinking, his mind drifted back to the day him and Chris got drunk on their living room sofa while watching an anime. Their trip to 7-11 in nothing but their pajamas, all the cheap candy and junk food they bought and surprisingly, the color blue. 

He saw a man who was too pretty for his own good that day, and for some reason that made Dan curious. He has no clue as to why this memory just struck him now, and why he was contemplating searching up the man's name on the worldwide book. This inclination came from no where, but he thought he should just feed in to it since he needed the distraction.

He remembers the man's name sounding a tad bit old for someone that looks so young.  _Phil._

Luckily he only knew one Phil, so when he typed out the name 'Phil' on his device, the name Phil Lester pops out in an instant. Devices can only pick up on people the owner has encountered with or has seen before, so searching for his mystery man was not a struggle at all. He clicks on the profile, and suddenly the man's ranking and profile picture pops out on his screen. 

He furrows his eyebrows at the sight,  _Is this the same man?_

The picture on the man's page was Phil alright, but his hair was styled in to a fringe that sat on top of his forehead, with thick framed glasses perched on his nose. When Dan saw him for the first time on that cold night in the convenience store, his hair was in a stylish quiff, with no glasses in sight. The profile was almost completely bare, with a total of four posts from two years ago. Dan scrolled through them slowly, reading every caption with ease.

 **_Phil Lester:_ ** _Been strumming all day! Who knew I had a hobby? [image attachment]_

The post consisted of photos of Phil smiling with a guitar in his hands, his cheeks red with the same thick framed glasses perched on his face. Like the others, it was from two years ago but it didn't stop Dan from emitting a small smile.In one picture, Phil had his fingers on the fretboard, his face looking quite serious. He was a stunner, Dan thought.

One post in particular caught his eye, the one directly underneath the previous display of Phil's instrument.

_**Phil Lester:** Drinks, drinks and more drinks! [Image attachment]_

In this one it was filled with photos of Phil behind a bar with several bottles displayed on rows upon rows behind his head. Neon lights illuminate the man in the picture, a smile on his face and a cocktail shaker in one of his hands. He was dressed in a tight dark blue long sleeve shirt with a fucking  _bow tie._ Phil obviously works as a bartender, and it seems that he is quite happy with his job. What Dan could not understand is the lack of posts on his profile,  _Is he hiding something? Did he lose his device?_  Dan proceeded to swipe and look at the other photos. One of them was a candid one of Phil making a drink, his sight fixated on the bar while he poured out some liquor in a glass.  _Cute._ The third one was a picture of just the bar itself. The chairs were red with sleek black tables, a stage, a karaoke machine and the shelves full of bottles of liquor. A neon sign of the bar can be seen in the top left corner of the photo and it made Dan suck in a breath.

"Hey Pj." He calls for his friend who was sat typing away next to him, his eyes still fixated on the photo. His heart started speeding up.  _No way._

"Yeah?" He turned to Dan for a split second before looking back at his own screen, his fingers never leaving his keyboard.

" _San Junipero._ " Dan spoke, "That's the bar where Troye spent his birthday last year, right?" He asked. 

"Yeah." Pj chuckled, "It was a shame you were with your parents that weekend, he spilled vodka all over himself, you would've lost it." He smiled, finally turning to Dan.

"What an idiot." Dan laughed nervously.

"Why are you asking about that bar?" Pj asked, leaning back on his chair and taking his coffee cup from his table, taking a sip.

_This is a stupid idea. He probably doesn't even remember Dan, he probably doesn't even work there anymore, Dan was just losing his mind. surely._

"I changed my mind." Dan spoke, "Let's go out tonight." He smiled.

 Maybe for one night, he could forget about the stupid system, get his mind off his ranking and get intoxicated, perhaps with something else other than liquor.

\---

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was an hour before his scheduled night in San Junipero, yet Dan was sat in front of his computer, possessing the urge to rip his own eyes off.

 

It was an hour before his scheduled night in San Junipero, yet Dan was sat in front of his computer, possessing the urge to rip his own eyes off.

 _"Actively rating is great but you shouldn't be too obvious that you're eager."_ Mr. Clark spoke through Dan's large computer screen, his face taking over a small portion on the top right corner of the monitor. The line chart that they were talking about two days ago was present on Dan's own screen, it was obvious that he wasn't doing a great job since the line wasn't going straight up. Dan was getting a bit paranoid as to why his attempts on being friendly wasn't doing the job for his numbers, he sent his boss an email asking for help, that is how they wounded up speaking with ear pods in Dan's ear while he anxiously bite his fingernails. He nods his head, silently cursing the slightly zigzagged line on his screen.

 _"High four's can smell it a mile away, just try being yourself."_ The man spoke,  _"Genuine gestures, that's the key."_

Maybe his desperation  _was_  quite obvious, he complimented a woman today with a toddler about how great she looked despite being a mother. Turns out it was only her niece, and she was single.

Dan sighed, "But how do I go step by step when I only have limited time-"

A ringing sound suddenly blared through the screen startling both of them.

 _"Oh sorry, I have an important phone call to attend."_   Mr. Clark stated.

"But-" He was cut off when his boss completely disappeared from the screen. Dan sighed, sitting back on his chair staring at his own chart.  _What kind of world gives you your own goddamn chart._

"Hey," Chris came trotting down the stair case, clutching one shirt in each hand, "Which one screams 'I'm your daddy?'"

Dan rolled his eyes before closing the tab, and sitting up to turn to his friend.  "None, and stop calling yourself that it's fucking gross." Dan grimaced before making his way in to their bathroom to sort out his mop of a hair.

Chris laughs, "Okay, someone's grumpy." He spoke before throwing the uglier choice of his two shirts on the sofa and shrugged on the other, it was navy blue with small anchors on them. "I thought you didn't like pubs?" Chris asked while watching Dan try and straighten his hair in front of their bathroom mirror, a concentrated look on his face.

He did, with a passion. He didn't like loud noises, he didn't like the presence of stranger's sweaty bodies, he hated tight spaces. He hated the pub. He's regretted this decision of his the moment PJ said yes and he hasn't stopped calling himself an idiot in his head ever since.

"Well, maybe I wanted a change." Dan shrugged, turning to Chris. "Nice shirt, also we'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Chris rolled his eyes before leaving the bathroom, his own device on his hand as he searches up San Junipero. Dan stared at himself in the mirror for a good minute, asking himself if this was actually something that he was going to do. He doesn't know anything about the man, considering his almost bare life page. His ranking is flunked, his demeanor and overall look screams anarchic, but here Dan was questioning all his choices just because Phil Lester was a sight to die for.

He jumped when his device made a ding sound, it was PJ sending him a message that he was already in the pub. He sighed, fluffing his curly hair a bit since he didn't have time to straighten the whole mop. He grabbed Chris by the sleeve and ventured out of their apartment.

They took a cab to the designated pub since Dan didn't feel like driving that night, his chest was actually hammering at they stood in front the heavily illuminated bar. The neon 'San Junipero' sign was present on the doors. Dan gulped,  _It's fine. You're here to meet some friends, you're here to impress some people, you're here to have fun. Just for the love of god, don't do anything fucking stupid or your boss will throw you out of work-_

"Dan-" Chris spoke, "You coming?"

Dan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "Yeah." He nodded.

The inside of the bar was pretty much identical to the photos on Phil's page, the same sleek red chairs and karaoke bar came to Dan's sight which just made him even more skittish. He smiled when he saw PJ sat in a booth in the far left of the place, who was accompanied with a few friends from work. 

"Dan!" PJ greeted him with a hug, his bright smile litting up the whole room, "We started a round while waiting for you, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, sorry we're late." Dan spoke, he took his device out of his pocket before ranking PJ five stars.

The boy furrowed his eyebrows, because yes, Dan never does that. He doesn't rank his friends out of the blue after the briefest of conversations, he does that to strangers and acquaintances, but not to a friend who he literally seats next to at work. Dan regretted it as soon as he did it, but PJ just smiled politely and ranked him back. 

"This is Chris, by the way." He gently nudged Chris forward. Not that he needed to introduce him in the first place, he can practically see all his co worker's irises moving, probably snooping at the boy's life page as they speak.

 "Chris, Hi!" PJ greeted, ranking the boy with five stars.

Despite Chris' defying opinion on the rating system, he politely got his device out and ranked him back.

"So, drinks everybody?" His co worker, Tyler, pressed a small red button on the side of the table. Suddenly a hologram of the menu appears before their very eyes, listing all of the possible drinks they can order. 

Dan was nervously bouncing his leg under the table, fidgeting with his fingers as he tries to stay calm as he skim his eyes over the menu. 

"Dan, would you stop that?" Chris muttered under his breath, placing his hand on Dan's leg in an attempt to stop his movement.

"Sorry, I'm just- we haven't drank in a long time." Dan quickly lied, ceasing his leg under Chris' palm.

"We drank last week. What are you on about?" Chris asked, his expression was confused.

"Right, well I mean- In a pub. We haven't been to a pub in a long time." He laughed nervously. He has no idea what has gotten in to him, really.

As soon as everybody picked what they wanted, Tyler takes the list of the drinks on his device and makes his way to the bar. 

_The bar. That's where-_

Dan stood up from his seat, "I'm gonna go help Tyler with the drinks." He smiles at Chris.

"Alright." Chris nodded his head. As soon as Dan left, PJ asked Chris' opinion on the best kind of Pokemons and suddenly Chris was in his element.

"Hey Ty," Dan caught up with Tyler and brought his hand to his shoulder, saying that he was there to help him out with the drinks. Tyler nods, saying he accepts the extra help.

Dan's chest was hammering, his hands were definitely sweating and his legs feel all wobbly. It's stupid how shaken up he feels and he also has no idea why. He's a grown man for fuck sakes, he feels like a teenage girl about to ask her crush out to fucking prom. He doesn't even know what to say, what will he say? Why did he even go through with this? He doesn't even have a game plan in his head. They battled their way through the sweaty bodies on the dance floor, doing their best to not bump in to anyone in the process. Dan didn't have time to question himself any further because he can already see the bar with the lines of bottles and stools and  _fuck Dan wants to turn around._

Much to his despair, the man behind the bar was not the man he was expecting. He didn't know if he's happy or sad about it, but Dan visibly deflated.  _Of Course he isn't here, he probably doesn't even work here, this is what happens when you do things without thinking you absolute-_

"Hi, what can I get you?" The man behind the bar smiled.

Dan's eye implants focused on the new person's face while Tyler was already ordering all the drinks for the table.

_EJ Brooks, 2.5. He's 22 and has been working in this bar for two years, it says on his occupation._

"Anything to add, Daniel?" Tyler asked. The both of them had their eyes fixated on the brunet as Dan stood their being a creep again and snooping at a life page.

"Oh, yeah no." He ranked EJ five stars before taking some of the drinks perched on the bar. "I'll take these." He smiled at the bartender before making his way back to the table with Tyler leading on tow.

Dan couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed, but what can he do?

If Phil wasn't anywhere to be found then he should probably forget about it. It was just a stupid obsession, that he will now try to clear away from his mind. He might never see the man ever again, and that's fine. So with that, Dan sat down next to Chris once again and grabbed his glass. He might as well enjoy the night as it is.

_-_

_Two hours later._

 

"You're late." Was the first thing he heard when he walked up to the bar for the first time that night.

Phil rolled his eyes as he took out the unlit cigarette in his mouth and putting it back in his pocket. He shrugged off his leather jacket before placing it under the bar despite it not being allowed to be there.

"When am I ever on time?" Phil grabbed the shaker and bottle of vodka from EJ's hands, pouring the liquid himself into a glass and handing it to the lady dressed in black that was waiting beyond the bar.

"Just because you know Nessa won't fire you doesn't mean you can waltz in here half an hour late for your shift." His friend spoke, who was already placing one hand in to his own jacket.

"You know she loves me." Phil gave him a smile.

"She wants to get in to your pants, more like."

Phil made a gagging sound at the thought of him and his boss being in the same bed doing more than actually sleeping before asking,  "Any regulars today?"

"Not a lot." EJ responded, "Only those group of guys right there." He pointed at a table full of men that looked like they were having fun and laughing loudly. Phil couldn't make out their faces because of the darkness in that area so his eye implants couldn't get their names. "One specifically keeps coming back here and ordering the same drink every twenty minutes." He chuckles, before going around Phil's figure and out of the bar.

"Yeah, okay. I got 'em" Phil smiled, "Now get out of here, I'll see you tomorrow."

EJ nodded, "You're coming in here early tomorrow for being late today by the way, see you." Before Phil can even groan and say no, he was already scurrying out of the brightly lit bar leaving Phil with the responsibility. Two minutes later a man with a weird looking mustache was already ordering for a shot of scotch. 

Phil sighed and got to work.

The night went on. Sixteen drinks later, Phil was sweating and his wrist was practically aching. It was half past eleven and the place was louder than before, and people were starting to slur their orders to Phil. Thankfully he has had this job for two years,he already knew how to handle it. all he had to do was mix a very simple drink and hand it to them, they usually don't give a fuck and just slap a few bills down on the bar for him. It excites Phil when their shifts do a full rotation and he gets the overnight shift, because that means he's usually serving already tipsy customers who pay way too much for their drink.

Tonight, his shift just got way more exciting than ever before.

"Another round, please." He heard a voice spoke from beyond the bar.

Phil was wiping down a few glasses with a cloth when he looked up.

 _There was absolutely no way._ Phil almost dropped the glass he was wiping. He was very much shocked to see the same man he saw at that 7-11 he visited a few nights back. The same brown hair, big doe eyes and the array of pastel clothing. His eye implants immediately focused on the brunet's face. He was still downing his glass, he has yet to give the new bartender that was behind the bar a good look.

_Dan Howell, 4.2._

Dan finally placed the glass on the bar with a thud, swallowing the liquid down despite his throat burning. He blinked a few times, ignoring the buzz in his head as he pushed the glass closer to the bartender. His eyes widened. The alcohol in his system was clogging his thinking but he'd recognize that face that he's been thinking about for the past two hours anywhere.

"It's you!" Dan almost shouted before standing up from his stool. 

 _He's fucking drunk._ Phil thought.

"It's me!" Phil replied back, trying to mimic Dan's overbearing energy but failed since he wasn't blackout drunk like the man before him.

 _'It's you?'_ Phil was very confused. Does Dan remember him? Was he looking for him?

"Wait what do you mean it's me?" Phil asked, taking the glass from Dan. He took a bottle and hid the glass behind the marble bar, filling it with only cranberry juice, no alcohol.

Dan's face was flushed, his cheeks and even the tips of his ears were tinted pink. His hair was curly and pushed back, his pupils were dilated, most likely had been drinking for a long time now. He looked so disheveled but still undoubtedly lovely.

"You." Dan pointed at Phil's chest. "You're here." He smiled lazily, his dimple very evident on both sides of his face. Phil was in awe, he swallowed down the urge to poke it with his finger.

"Yes." Phil replied, sliding the glass to Dan. "How many have you been drinking?" He asked, his eyes fixated on the man who he never thought he would see again considering their difference in ranking. 

Dan took the glass in his hands, "m'lost count." he looked up at Phil, "How did you get here?" He looked properly confused.

Phil chuckled, "I work here." He watched as Dan took the glass to his lips and took a sip, he watched as the man looked at the drink after and said it tasted good. Phil wondered if he knew it was only fruit juice, he's pretty sure he doesn't.

"So I was right!" Dan cheered, bringing the half full glass up in the air making the liquid slosh around and spill. "I knew it, you're- you work here." 

"What do you mean?" Phil asked, already knowing that Dan had most likely stalked his life page in their brief conversation. He was aware there was only four posts on there, it wasn't that hard to scroll in it.

"Was looking for you." Dan placed his chin on his hand, looking up at Phil. The older man raised his eyebrow, ignoring the spark of excitement in his chest as he took another glass to wipe to distract him from this weird feeling.

"Looking for me?" He asked, "and why is that?" 

"I thought you were cute." Dan slurred, but Phil definitely caught that, "I wanted to see you again."

Phil's heart definitely did stop for a quick second. Dan's head was still buzzing, he has no idea what he was saying but he knew Phil was in front of him and he was the one he wanted to see in the first place. He looked even better than the pictures he's seen of him in the same place two years ago. He's more built with a new hairstyle and  _fuck_ Dan needs another drink.

Phil was still unable to speak when Dan asked "Another one?" The older man sighed and took the glass from him, thankful for the distraction as he turned around from Dan to refill the glass with ice.

 _He's drunk. This is nothing, this doesn't mean anything at all._ He chanted in his head. He feels utterly stupid, he hardly knows the man but here he was getting tongue tied from getting called fucking 'cute'. He's seen the guy  _twice_ , and he doubts he's even serious.

"You look way better than your pictures." He heard Dan say. 

"Been snooping around, huh?" Phil asked, amused. 

Phil couldn't see but Dan nodded his head. He took the glass and filled it with fruit juice again, before putting it in front of Dan. The man immediately took it in his hands as he stared up at Phil.

"Where did you-" Phil was about to ask him a question when a voice cut him off,

"Dan, we're heading out. Tyler's lost it." A man that was nursing someone with glasses in his arms approached Dan who was sat in front of the bar. Phil's implants caught the guys name very briefly before he was off to the door, PJ something.

"Let's go, Dan." Another person came and tapped Dan on the shoulder.  _Chris Kendall, 3.3_ , Phil read. "It's really late." He yawned to unintentionally prove his point.

"I don't want to." He replied, taking the glass again and tipping it back in his mouth.

"That's enough, man." Chris grumbled, "Get your ass off that stool or I'm carrying you out."

Dan basically ignored Chris, turning to Phil and shoving the empty glass in his hand. "Will I see you again?" Dan asked.

Phil was once again shocked, his eyes widened and he also noticed Chris give him a weird look.

"I uh- yeah. You know where to find me." Phil laughed lowly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Despite Dan being drunk, he wished he was being serious. He wanted to see him again some time.

Dan smiled at him, dimples and all before sliding off the stool. His curls flopped with his movement, his skin still tinted pink from intoxication, his eyes met Phil's one last time for that night.

"Your eyes are pretty, by the way." Dan giggled before walking off. Chris nodded at Phil, placing a few bills on the bar and ranking him five starts politely before leaving. The atmosphere wasn't the same when Dan left. He feels ridiculous and he cannot believe he's already craving the man's presence already. 

Maybe after all these years of his efforts of trying to stir away from relationships and what not, he's starting to yearn for that particular emotion. Because yes, It's lonely. It gets too much. But Phil doesn't feel like he's quite ready for it. He doesn't think he can do it for now after what happened last time.

He hardly knows the boy. With a few scrolls in his life page, Phil can predict that he's probably some stuck up high class individual like half of the society. But after seeing him all tipsy with his delicate smile, maybe not. 

He hopes he's incorrect and he secretly hopes he sees him again.

Because despite Dan's high ranking and Phil's assumptions, Dan didn't rank him. Again.

-

 

 


End file.
